Relieve diarrhea with this natural medicine(Natural News) Protozoa-related gastrointestinal diseases afflict one out of every eight people in the world. To help combat gut illnesses such as diarrhea and dysentery, Mexican researchers drew upon local folk medicine for natural substances with anti-protozoal qualities. They found a possible solution in a desert plant called the copper globemallow (Sphaeralca angustifolia). Native to... (Source: NaturalNews.com)Source: NaturalNews.com - December 14, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

University of Guelph researcher develops 3-in-1 vaccine against traveller's diarrhea(University of Guelph) A U of G Prof. has discovered a novel approach to developing a first-ever vaccine for three common pathogens that cause traveller's diarrhea and kill more than 100,000 children living in developing countries each year. The vaccine yokes together proteins from pathogenic E.coli with sugars from Shigella and Camplyobacter jejuni -- three bugs that are major causes of bacterial diarrhea globally. Currently no licensed vaccines exist against any of these pathogens. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - October 10, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Strawberry tea can be used to treat diarrhea and dysentery(Natural News) Did you know that strawberries have medicinal properties, too? Strawberries are among the most recognizable fruits of all, not only for their distinct, heart-shaped, seed-studded appearance but also for their sweet, fruity taste. Their leaves, however, have long been used to treat various illnesses, including gastrointestinal problems. Although not too apparent these days,... (Source: NaturalNews.com)Source: NaturalNews.com - August 22, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

More Than 600 People Say Eating Chipotle Made Them Sick – But Officials Still Don’t Know the CauseMore than 600 people said they got sick after eating at a Chipotle outside Columbus, Ohio, health officials said Monday. And they still don’t know what has caused it.
The Delaware General Health District began investigating the restaurant, located in Powell, Ohio, on July 31 after it received numerous reports from patrons who ate there between July 26 and July 30. The location was briefly closed for an investigation.
On Aug. 3, health officials put out an update saying that they had received nearly 700 inquires and had interviewed over 500 people.
On Monday, they provided another update on Twitter saying that officia...Source: TIME: Health - August 6, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Time Tags: Uncategorized Food & Drink Ohio onetime Source Type: news

Breathing Easier with Single-Use BronchoscopesThis study was specifically done for bronchoscopes because that data was lacking,” says Lars Marcher, CEO and President Ambu A/S, in an interview with MD+DI.
Contamination of reusable endoscopes has been known for some time now. “Endoscope Reprocessing Failures Continue to Expose Patients to Infection Risk” was number two on ECRI Institute’s list of Top 10 health technology hazards for 2018. And it has been on the organization’s top 10 list for the past eight years.
Shifting to single-use instruments will likely be cost effective as well. According to a 2017 study, “Early Assessment...Source: MDDI - July 12, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Susan Shepard Tags: Sterilization Source Type: news

Why July Is the Most Dangerous Month To Go SwimmingJust in time for swimming season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new report on disease outbreaks associated with swimming in rivers, lakes and oceans.
Between 2000 and 2014, public health officials in 35 states, plus Guam, reported a total of 140 disease outbreaks associated with swimming in untreated recreational waters — mainly at beaches and bodies of water in public parks, the report says. These outbreaks led to 4,958 illnesses and two deaths.
The vast majority of outbreaks with a confirmed cause were linked to gastrointestinal pathogens such as norovirus, Shigella and E. coli. ...Source: TIME: Health - June 28, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized healthytime onetime public health Source Type: news

Scientists map genetic codes of 3,000 dangerous bacteria(Reuters) - Scientists seeking new ways to fight drug-resistant superbugs have mapped the genomes of more than 3,000 bacteria, including samples of a bug taken from Alexander Fleming's nose and a dysentery-causing strain from a World War One soldier. (Source: Reuters: Health)Source: Reuters: Health - June 6, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: healthNews Source Type: news

NYC Mice Are Carrying Antibiotic-Resistant GermsPeople who live in cities are used to the company of furry vermin. But a new study reveals that mice and men may be sharing much more than just living quarters.
In a study published in the journal mBio, researchers led by Dr. Ian Lipkin, professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, studied the gut microbes of 416 mice collected from mostly residential buildings all over New York City. Lipkin and his team did a thorough genetic analysis of the microbes they extracted from the feces of the mice, and found that they contained a number of disease-causing bacteria.
Nearly 40% of the ...Source: TIME: Health - April 17, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized Bacteria healthytime Source Type: news

UCLA pediatrician inspires humanism in young doctorsDr. Lee Miller ’s journey began, as many do, with a train ride. Thirty years ago, he was a UCLA assistant professor traveling from Philadelphia to New York. After threading his way through the crowded aisles of every car, he eyed the last three vacant seats in the caboose.“I chose a fortuitous seat next to an elderly gentleman from Shanghai,” Miller recalled recently in a special address to UCLA medical students. “He was a pediatrician teaching students, just like me.”The ride passed quickly as the older physician recounted stories about his work in global health. When the two exchanged busine...Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - March 3, 2018 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

Researchers find transferable antibiotic resistance gene in pathogen of developing nations(American Society for Microbiology) A team of investigators has found that the mcr-1 drug resistance gene, which encodes resistance to a drug that is used as a last resort, has been found for the first time in Shigella flexneri. Shigella are one of the leading causes of diarrhea worldwide. The research is published March 2 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - March 2, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

The 8th Annual Alexander Awards: The Best Tox Reading of 2017Alexander Gettler
Once again, last year’s outstanding examples of long-form journalism dealing with topics related to medical toxicology were dominated by coverage of the opioid crisis, its origins and the resulting carnage.
The must-read article of the year was “The Family That Built a Empire of Pain,” Patrick Radden Keefe’s massive history of the Sacklers, one of America’s richest clans, much of whose wealth comes from their ownership of Purdue Pharma and the marketing and distribution of Oxycontin.
The article, which appeared in the New Yorker, notes that the clan’s patriarch, Ar...Source: The Poison Review - January 2, 2018 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Gussow Tags: Medical 2017 Alexander awards opioids Purdue Pharma Sackler Source Type: news

When Medicines Don ’t Work AnymoreCredit: BigstockBy Martin KhorPENANG, Malaysia, Dec 4 2017 (IPS)The growing crisis of antibiotic resistance is catching the attention of policy makers, but not at a rate enough to tackle it.More diseases are affected by resistance, meaning the bacteria cannot be killed even if different drugs are used on some patients, who then succumb.We are staring at a future in which antibiotics don’t work, and many of us or our children will not be saved from TB, cholera, deadly forms of dysentery, and germs contracted during surgery.Martin Khor, Executive Director of the South Centre, a think tank for developing countries, base...Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - December 4, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Martin Khor Tags: Development & Aid Global Global Governance Headlines Health Poverty & SDGs Regional Categories TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news

“Ambition & Action ” Needed to End Open DefecationWomen village councilors in Penakota, a village in southeast India, go out into a field to relieve themselves, as there are no toilets in their workplace. Credit: Stella Paul/IPSBy Will HigginbothamUNITED NATIONS, Nov 27 2017 (IPS)What would life be like without access to a toilet? What if our waste was not properly disposed of?For those in the developed world, such questions are hard to fathom, but for 2.3 billion people around the world it’s a reality. Without access to a toilet many are forced to defecate in the open, significantly increasing the changes of spreading diseases.The sixth Sustainable Development Goal...Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - November 27, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Will Higginbotham Tags: Development & Aid Gender Global Headlines Health Poverty & SDGs Water & Sanitation Source Type: news

Can I Give Cholera Vaccine?Discussion
Cholera is caused by more than 200 serogroups of Vibrio cholerae, a Gram-negative rod that is waterborne. Only two (serogroup O1 which causes about 99% of the cases, and O139) cause disease. There are biotypes of each of these serotypes. The only known hosts are humans. The organism colonizes the epithelial lining of the gut. Cholera toxin is produced by some species and if produced binds to specific receptors on host cells, activating a series of steps which cases massive loss of sodium, potassium, chloride, hydrogen carbonate, and fluids in vomitus and feces. A review of causes of diarrhea can be found here.
...Source: PediatricEducation.org - November 27, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news

6 Expressions Of Gratitude People Have For The Inspiring Nurses They’ve EncounteredNursing is not the kind of profession one goes into seeking fame and prestige. Ask any of the nurses in your life, and they’ll all tell you the same story: It involves long hours and hard work, with little acknowledgement of the day-to-day sacrifices.
And yet, according to a U.K. survey, nurses are among the world’s most satisfied professionals, along with teachers and engineers, of those who most enjoy their jobs. That’s because, despite the stress and burnout, there’s a shared sense of purpose among those who work in healthcare. In addition to the time and energy they sacrifice to care for their p...Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - April 19, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

These 3 Superbugs Pose The Greatest Risk To Human HealthThe World Health Organization is issuing a warning about a group of deadly bacteria: Recently, the WHO released its first-ever list of “priority pathogens,” a list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that the organization says pose the greatest threat to human health.
The list is divided into three categories: critical-, high- and medium-priority. Three pathogens made it into the critical-priority group. These bacteria are resistant to multiple antibiotics and pose a high risk to people in hospitals and nursing homes, the WHO says.
Multidrug-resistant bacteria, sometimes called “superbugs,” are a ...Source: Science - The Huffington Post - March 23, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

No Water, No Life – Don’t Waste It!Pastoralists in the Ufeyn region of Puntland are walking further and further to find water for their livestock. Credit: @WFP/K DhanjiBy Baher KamalROME, Mar 21 2017 (IPS)During the final exams of Spanish official high school of journalists, a student was asked by the panel of professors-examiners: If scientists discover that there is water in Planet Mars, how would you announce this news, what would be your title? The student did not hesitate a second: “There is life in Mars!” The student was graduated with the highest score. In spite of this simple truth, human beings have been systematically wasting this prim...Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - March 21, 2017 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Baher Kamal Tags: Development & Aid Environment Featured Global Headlines Health Human Rights Inequity Natural Resources Population Poverty & SDGs Water & Sanitation World Water Day Source Type: news

Impending Water Crisis Could Affect Your HealthMost Americans take clean water for granted.We turn on the tap and safe water to drink, bathe in, and cook and clean with comes out of the faucet.But according to a new study, there’s a growing water affordability problem on the horizon that could soon make water scarcer and more costly.The fallout has the potential to be devastating to public health in the United States.The true cost of waterUtility companies actually take a loss on the cost of water.However, between individual households’ water bills and government subsidies, they have historically made enough money to keep operating their businesses while al...Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - March 1, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Flint’s Water Crisis Is Even Affecting Hand WashingThe city of Flint, Michigan, is seeing a rise in cases of a bacterial illness called shigellosis, and the ongoing water crisis there may be in part to blame, according to news reports.
So far this year, there have been 85 cases of shigellosis in Genesee County, which includes Flint, according to The New York Times. That’s the highest number of shigellosis cases among all counties in Michigan this year.
A statement from Genesee County Health Department in September said that cases of the bacterial illness are up in both the county and the state. In the entire state of Michigan, there were 454 cases of shigellosis this...Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - October 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Life With A Traumatic Brain Injury -- Acknowledging The Truth And Moving OnI have a brain injury, but...
I have a brain injury.
There. I've said it. Publicly. It's so much easier to not say it, to not admit it, to not talk about it. For the first five months after my accident, I didn't talk about my brain injury with anyone. Because I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to explain how I felt, or discuss my symptoms, or detail how my healing was going. Even now, I'd rather my injury not be there (and I know how obvious and stupid that statement sounds). I'd rather not be injured, but I am. I have what neurologists classify as a traumatic brain injury, a TBI.
Specifics: For the first t...Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - September 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

[Feature] The Truest TestOver the past few years, there has been a surge in studies that intentionally infect volunteers with a wide variety of pathogens to test novel drugs and vaccines. The so-called "human challenge model" has a long and checkered past that began with 18th century experiments by smallpox vaccine developer Edward Jenner and later fell under intense scrutiny when they were conducted by Nazi doctors, military researchers, and academic scientists working with prisoners. Today, challenge experiments follow strict ethical guidelines, minimize risks to volunteers at every turn, and face increased scrutiny from regulatory age...Source: ScienceNOW - May 19, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Jon Cohen Source Type: news

Thanks, Public Health!If you're like most people you experience gratitude many times each day. Most often, we're thankful for things that happen -- from the simple act of someone holding a door for you to experiencing the recovery of a loved one following an illness. You probably say "thanks" so many times in a day that you can't recall each specific instance. While it's easy to be thankful for kind acts, good experiences, and things that bring joy and satisfaction into your life, it's harder to recognize and be thankful for things that don't happen. Such it is with public health -- a discipline whose achievements are often notable f...Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - April 4, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Genomic study of epidemic dysentery reveals how Europe exported a scourge worldwide(Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute) The largest genetic study on the bacterium responsible for epidemic dysentery has revealed that the Shigella dysenteriae pathogen, which remains a real scourge in Africa and Asia, probably originated in Europe. This research, which was carried out by scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Institut Pasteur in Paris, also charts the development of the pathogen's resistance to antibiotics, and is published in the journal Nature Microbiology. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - March 21, 2016 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news